Serena Williams Won't Celebrate Daughter Olympia's First Birthday Due To Her Religious Beliefs

Serena Williams is a world champion, but her journey as a new mom has made her one of the most relatable celeb parents out there, from her posts about missing her daughter's first steps to her inner conflict over whether breastfeeding would affect her training. But her traditions around a certain milestone are different than most in one way: Serena Williams won't celebrate daughter Olympia's first birthday due to her religious beliefs.

As Williams told People, little Olympia's big day, coming this weekend, won't be marked with a typical cupcake-and-candle, balloon-and-streamers celebration due to the fact that the athlete is a Jehovah's Witness. “Olympia doesn’t celebrate birthdays,” Williams told the magazine at a press conference surrounding the U.S. Open. “We’re Jehovah’s Witnesses, so we don’t do that.”

In spite of her life at times resembling a fairy tale, Williams is also a very real person with her own challenges, including sharing on Instagram earlier this month that she was feeling like a "not a good mom":

Although I have been with her [Olympia] every day of her life, I’m not around as much as I would like to be. Most of you moms deal with the same thing. Whether stay-at-home or working, finding that balance with kids is a true art. You are the true heroes.

I hope in this coming year, with Olympia getting bigger, things will settle down a bit for the champ and her family. And whatever traditions Williams and Ohanian choose, or don't choose, to mark their daughter's very first year, I'm sure they will find a way to enjoy the big day as a family. Just make sure to post it for the rest of us to see, OK guys?